25 March 2008
The United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) has announced an investment of £14-million (R225-million) over the next four years in Soul City and Soul Buddyz, two of southern Africa's most successful television and radio series.
During an official visit to the country, UK permanent under-secretary of state for international development Gillian Merron said the funding would support the programmes as they continued to address various health and developmental topics.
"I am delighted that my government is going to support the rollout of Soul City and Soul Buddyz across the southern African region over the next four years, as young people deserve to have access to the information that can save lives, and Soul City does just that," Merron said in a statement last week.
Soul City addresses 20 different health and development topics through their television dramas, print materials and radio dramas. These topics range from maternal health care, xenophobia to domestic violence, as well as having a strong emphasis on HIV/Aids.
"As one of the biggest interventions in South Africa doing HIV prevention with adults and children, Soul City can claim to have contributed to the changes in sexual behaviour among young people and the decline in HIV prevalence amongst young South African women under 20," Soul City said.
"The figure has fallen from 16.1% in 2004 to 13.7% in 2006."
The series has won international awards for its success in integrating education and entertainment using popular radio and television drama.
Soul Buddyz
The Soul Buddyz project was launched in 1999, building on the successful multimedia strategy of the Soul City series.
While the Soul City series is popular with all ages, its messages were not designed specifically for a very young audience, particularly eight- to 12-year-olds.
The creators of the series point out that in the context of a rapidly transforming society the needs and aspirations of young children are often neglected, even though they are at critical stage in their life during when attitudes are formed.
"Emotional and health problems often originate or become embedded in this age group, with social problems such as physical and sexual abuse severely retarding the potential of many children," Soul City said.
The funding will support Soul City's ongoing work in other sub-Saharan countries, including Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where the adapted Soul City material is already reaching more than 60% of all young people.
The DFID is the largest funder of the two series and has been supporting Soul City for the past 13 years, with total spending of more than R200-million.
SAinfo reporter
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